The settlement of Tytkesken VI is one of the most informative monuments of the Neolithic, Eneolithic and Bronze Age of Gorny Altai. During the work of 2006, layers covering an area of more than 1,500 m2 were examined on the monument, and numerous ceramic and stone artifacts of the developed and late Neolithic period were discovered. Advanced Neolithic pottery from this site finds analogs in the synchronous and later Neolithic materials of the Tytkesken II settlement. Morphological similarities are also traced with Eneolithic dishes from the burials of the Kuyum and Ulagan Afanasyev burial grounds. Advanced Neolithic pottery from the settlements of Tytkesken II and VI has practically no analogues among the finds from synchronous monuments of Western Siberia, but shows morphological similarity with the Neolithic ware of the Atbasar culture in Kazakhstan. In addition, the proximity of these settlement complexes to the Celteminar culture of Central Asia can be traced. Materials from the horizon FOR the settlement of Tytkesken VI suggest that the cultural tradition of the developed Neolithic was formed on the basis of the Early Neolithic, but with some impulse associated with the penetration of the population from Central Asia or eastern Kazakhstan into the territory of Gorny Altai.

Key words: Neolithic, settlement, ceramics, ornament, technological technique, artificial additives, molding masses, reinforcing additive, ethno-cultural processes.

Introduction

In the theory and practice of archaeological research, close attention is always paid to the analysis of ancient ceramics, since the forms, ornamentation and technological methods of making pottery reflect the ethno-cultural processes that took place in ancient societies. In this paper, we consider ceramics from the western horizon of the Tytkesken VI settlement, which is located on the Middle Katun River. This complex dates back to the second half of the fifth millennium BC and belongs to the developed Neolithic. Based on the analysis of ceramic materials, the problems of reconstruction of ethno-cultural processes on the territory of Southern Siberia in the Neolithic era are raised.

History of studying the settlement

The monument is located in the Chemalsky district of the Altai Republic (Fig. 1). The settlement of Tytkesken VI is located in the estuary zone of the river of the same name, a left tributary of the Katun River, 0.1 km from their confluence (Fig. 2). In this place, the left bank of the Tytkesken River is a 15-meter Katun basement terrace made of boulders.In the upper part - Aeolian sand and humus deposits with a thickness of 0.1 to 0.5 m. The monument was discovered in 1990 during excavations of the southern group of mounds of the Tytkesken VI burial ground (Kiryushin Yu. F., Kungurov, 1994).

The work was carried out within the framework of the state task (project No. 6.3990.2011 "Comprehensive historical research of the oldest Altai cultures").

page 65

Figure 1. Location of the Tytkesken VI monument.

2. Estuarine zone of the Tytkesken River. Arrows indicate the locations of Tytkesken VI (1) and Tytkesken II (2) settlements.

In 2006, emergency archaeological excavations were continued at the settlement. An area of approx. 1 500 m2. Interesting materials related to the Bronze Age, Early Iron Age, Middle Ages (horizon 1), Eneolithic (horizon 2) and Neolithic (horizon 3) were obtained (Kiryushin Yu. F. et al., 2006; Kiryushin Yu. F., Kungurov, Schmidt et al., 2007; Volkov, Kiryushin K. Yu., Semibratov, 2008).

The Neolithic and Eneolithic complexes of the village are distinguished on the territory of the monument planigraphically. Conventionally, they are called upper and lower, which is associated with the planigraphy of the monument. The upper level of the settlement rises 3.2 m above the lower one. They are separated by a 20-meter section of an inclined surface, where only a few stone artifacts were found (Fig. 3).

In the future, instead of using the phrases "lower level" and "upper level" to refer to archaeological collections from Neolithic layers, we will use the terms "horizon Z" and "horizon Z B". The analysis of materials obtained as a result of studies in 2006 revealed differences between the complexes of these horizons. The radiocarbon dates 6,200 ± 210 BP (COAN-6763) for the ZA horizon and 5,930 ± 150 BP (COAN-6765) for the WB horizon indicate a certain chronological gap between them.

3. Tytkesken settlement VI.

1 - lower level; 2-upper level.

page 66
Ceramics from the horizon BEYOND

The collection includes 988 specimens, including 38 fragments of the corolla, 6 of the bottom, and 944 of the vessel walls, of which 541 are small shards less than 1><1 cm in size. According to the number of corolla fragments, fragments of at least 15 vessels are represented. Most of them are ornamented only on the corolla, and only occasionally there is a decor on the body. Vessels vary in shape. Unfortunately, none of the products are completely reconstructed, but several of them have elements that allow you to partially recreate their shape (Fig. 4-6).

Fig. 4. Graphical reconstruction of the vessel from the horizon BEYOND the settlement of Tytkesken VI.

5. Fragment of a vessel from the horizon behind the settlement of Tytkesken VI.

6. Ceramics from the horizon behind the Tytkesken VI settlement.

page 67
The most representative part of the collection consists of fragments of thin-walled vessels (wall thickness 3-5 mm) with a high, well-shaped corolla bent outward (see Fig. 4 - 5; 6, 1 - 3, 6, 7). In the only case, it is bent inwards (see Figs. 6, 5). One vessel has a partially reconstructed shape (see Fig. 4): large fragments of the upper part are added (see fig. 5) and bottom parts, but the body is missing. This is a fairly large vessel (the diameter of the corolla section is 14 cm), but the walls are thin for its size (thickness 4-5 mm). The composition of the dough is homogeneous, impurities are not visually visible. One vessel has a particularly high neck (see Figs. 6, 2). All fragments of the bottoms (see Figs. 4; 7,5, 6) indicate that the ceramics are sharp-bottomed.

The edge of the corollas of the vessels is pointed (see Fig. 4, 5; 6, 1, 2) or decorated with pinched finger pads (see fig. 6,3,5) or fingernails (see Fig. 6,1), often dissected by notches (see Fig. 4, 5). In one case, a row of deep oblique notches is located under the corolla (Fig. 8). One vessel is decorated with vertical parallel lines along the neck and bottom (see Fig. 4, 5). In the other, a row of smooth rocking chairs runs along the neck (see Fig.6, 5).

More thick - walled ceramics (wall thickness 5 - 8 mm) stand out against the general background- several fragments of weakly profiled corollas (see Figs. 6, 4). These are parts of open-shaped vessels that are close to banks. The corolla is straight, cut with notches. The most interesting is a fairly large vessel (the diameter of the corolla section is 20 cm) with a wall thickness of 8 mm. The high corolla is slightly profiled and slightly bent outwards (Fig. 9). Visually, the bending effect increases the thickening along the section of the corolla, which is dissected inside and outside by notches (Fig. 9, 10). The vessel is not ornamented, but there are traces on the neck, possibly from a spatula. Similar traces can be seen on the inner surface.

7. Ceramics from the horizon behind the Tytkesken VI settlement.

8. Fragment of a vessel from the horizon behind the settlement of Tytkesken VI.

9. Ceramics from the horizon behind the Tytkesken VI settlement.

page 68

10. Fragment of a vessel from the horizon behind the settlement of Tytkesken VI.

Three fragments of the body and bottom are decorated with rows of short notches (see Figs. 7,2-4, b), three more fragments of the walls are decorated with a smooth rocking chair (see Figs. 7-7 - 9), and one - with the prints of a comb stamp forming rows of "herringbone" (see Figs. 7,1; 11). The last fragment is 6 mm thick. In the fractures, traces of hair tufts are visually visible (Fig. 12).

Horizon 3A Complex date

The closest analogies to the ceramic horizon complex for the settlement of Tytkesken VI are found in the materials of the Tytkesken II monument, which is located at a distance of several hundred meters on the other bank of the river of the same name. At this settlement, thin-walled unornamented ceramics and ornamented with comb-shaped stamp impressions are found in layers 7-5 and 4A, which belong to the Early, Developed and Late Neolithic (Kiryushin K. Yu., Kiryushin Yu. F., Glushkov, 2012). The addition of animal hair to the vessel walls during the molding process is also recorded in the materials of the monument [Ibid.]. This is the basic technique of the molding (cultural, ethnographic) tradition of the Neolithic inhabitants of the Tytkesken II settlement, which is more or less represented in complexes from the early to the final Neolithic [Ibid.].

The vessel, whose high corolla is slightly profiled and slightly bent outwards (see Figures 9, 10) and a thickening passes through it, finds analogs in the materials of the fifth horizon of the Tytkesken II settlement (Figures 13, 14). I. G. Glushkov, who worked with the materials of the Tytkesken II settlement, believes that this is an important techno-

11. Fragment of the vessel wall from the horizon beyond the settlement of Tytkesken VI.

12. Ceramic fragment with hair traces in a break from the horizon behind the settlement of Tytkesken VI.

13. Graphic reconstruction of the vessel from the fifth horizon of the settlement of Tytkesken, p.

page 69

14. Ceramics from the fifth horizon of the settlement of Tytkesken, p.

logical attribute of the vessel forming method. In his opinion, the formation of the vessel began from the mouth, and the bottom was joined last. Thickening along the corolla was formed as a result of sagging under the weight of the vessel. Notches on the whisk are also a technological technique aimed at preventing cracking of ceramics during the drying process.

I. G. Glushkov's analysis of the methods of forming vessels from the fifth horizon revealed features that have not yet been recorded in the ceramic complexes of the earlier and later horizons of the Tytkesken II and VI settlements. The similarity in molding operations allows us to conclude that the materials of the fifth horizon of the Tytkesken II settlement and the horizon FOR the Tytkesken VI settlement are synchronous and belong to the same cultural tradition. This is also confirmed by the presence of Celteminar arrowheads in them [Kiryushin Yu. F., Kiryushin K. Yu., Semibratov, 2011].

57 stone artefacts were obtained from the stratified part of the Tytkesken II settlement, and 3,411 specimens were collected. It was found during excavations of the Final Neolithic dwelling, which was embedded in an earlier layer of the developed Neolithic [Kiryushin K. Yu., Kiryushin Yu. F., 2008]. Stone inventory from the horizon for the settlement of Tytkesken VI totals 9,212 copies. Representative collections that allowed for a detailed analysis of the primary splitting technique, tool kit, and industrial waste indicate that the complexes belong to the Advanced Neolithic era. The results of the study make it possible to state that the cultural tradition of the developed Neolithic in this territory was formed on the basis of the previous Early Neolithic, but in the presence of some extraneous impulse, which is recorded in the emergence of new specific technological methods of forming ceramics.

Materials from the fifth horizon of the Tytkesken II settlement lacked organic samples for radiocarbon dating. A series of dates was obtained for the upper and lower layers (for earlier and later horizons) [Ibid.]. This made it possible to date the fifth horizon to the mid-second half of the fifth millennium BC. As we have already noted, a radiocarbon date of 6,200 ± 210 BP (SOAN-6763) was obtained for the horizon BEYOND the settlement of Tytkesken VI. Thus, materials from it can also be attributed to the middle-second half of VTYC. BC. Calibration of the date SOAN-6763 significantly ages the cultural layer of the complex: 1σ (68.2% probability) - 5 400 - 4 850 years BC, 2σ (95.4% probability) - 5 600 - 4 600 years BC.

page 70
Discussion of the results

The search for analogues outside the mouth of the Tytkesken River is rather difficult. This is largely due to the fact that synchronous monuments in the Altai and adjacent territories are either unknown, poorly studied, or their date is questionable. In the absence of close analogs, you have to refer to matching objects that are very remote in time or space.

It is difficult to get rid of the impression that a well-shaped vessel with a corolla bent inward (see Figs. 6, 5) has much in common with the Afanasiev vessel from the Kuyum burial ground [Khlobystina, 1975, Figs. 2, 3], while the other thin-walled vessels resemble the vessel from the Ulagan burial ground [Ibid., Fig. 2, 7]. The time gap between the materials of the Tytkesken VI settlement and the Afanasyev monuments is very significant, and perhaps this is an example of"convergent development of cultures". At the same time, it can be assumed that the Neolithic population of Altai participated in the formation of the Afanasyev culture. Views on its origin differ [Molodin, 2002; Savinov, 2012], but even proponents of the migration hypothesis admit the possibility of contacts between Afanasyevites and the local population [Stepanova, Polyakov, 2010].

The funerary and ritual complex Vengerovo-2 in the Barabinsk steppe should be mentioned among the materials of synchronous monuments of adjacent territories (Molodin et al., 2012). Some morphological similarity between Neolithic ceramic products from the settlements of Tytkesken II (fifth horizon) and Vengerovo-2 has already been noted in the literature [Ibid., p. 120], and we agree with the conclusions of our colleagues.

A vessel with a high corolla slightly profiled and slightly bent outwards (see Fig. 9), is not ornamented, but its analog from the settlement of Tytkesken II is decorated with a rich ornamental composition consisting of vertically arranged asymmetric zigzag and wavy lines (see Fig. The drawn ornament and its compositional structure do not correspond in ceramic complexes from other horizons of the Tytkesken II and VI settlements. Due to the fact that the vessel is incomplete, it is difficult to give a detailed description of it, so we will limit ourselves to just some general remarks.

It should be noted that the drawn ornament was quite widespread in the Neolithic period and was one of the main ones in the ornamentation of Neolithic ceramics of the Barnaul-Biysk Ob region. Ceramics with such ornaments (straight, wavy, dotted or drawn with uneven pressure) predominate on the monuments of Zavyalovo-2 (66.6 %) and -8 (62.6 %). It is at least 50% in Sedovaya Zaimka and 18.8 % in Kiprino settlement (Molodin, 1977, p. 12).

The drawn pattern was also widespread in the Southern and Middle Trans-Urals (Kovaleva, 1989, pp. 30-38; Mosin and Grigoriev, 2000, pp. 93-114). According to its compositional construction, the ceramics of these regions and the Barnaul-Biysk Ob region are in many respects similar. Similar are the drawn straight, wave - and zigzag lines running parallel to each other and the corolla section; straight and wave-shaped lines forming geometric interpenetrating figures-triangles, rectangles, etc. It should be noted that ceramics of the Middle and Southern Trans-Urals are characterized by a combination of a drawn ornament with a pinned or combed one.

The asymmetrical arrangement of lines on the Tytkesken II settlement vessel adds dynamism to the entire composition. The lines differ in length and width, and sometimes they intersect. The length of the bending step is the same in some cases (static), in others it gradually decreases in the direction from the corolla to the bottom part and gives the composition dynamism. The ornamentation combines sharp and rounded corners (see Figure 13). In general, this vessel, in comparison with the ceramics of the Upper Ob region, Southern and Middle Trans-Urals, is characterized by a more dynamic construction of an ornamental composition.

Analogs of such ceramics are found in the materials of the Atbasar culture of Northern Kazakhstan (Seibert, 1992, p. 159). The drawn ornament is also found on Neolithic vessels of the Celteminar culture in Central Asia (Vinogradov and Mamedov, 1975, pp. 44, 112, 214-217). According to the compositional construction of the ornament, ceramic finds from the fifth horizon of Tytkesken II are close to the painted ceramics of the Jeytun culture [Korobkova, 1996, p. 90]. They show the greatest similarity with the Jeytun ceramics, decorated with a vertical zigzag and vertically wavy ornament [Massey, 1971, p. 54-55]. In our opinion, the ceramics of Central Asia and Kazakhstan have more in common with the ceramics from the fifth horizon of the Tytkesken II settlement than the ceramics of the Upper Ob region, Southern and Middle Trans-Urals. This is expressed in the vertical arrangement of asymmetric zigzag and wavy lines. The presence of ceramics with a drawn pattern in the materials of the fifth horizon may be associated with the penetration of tribes from Central Asia or the eastern regions of Kazakhstan into the territory of Gorny Altai during the developed Neolithic period.

As we have already noted, the materials of the western horizon of the Tytkesken VI settlement and the fifth horizon of the Tytkesken II monument contain Celteminar arrowheads (Kiryushin Yu. F., Kiryushin K. Yu., Semibratov, 2011). This is extremely rare in

page 71
It is a very expressive category of items that allows us to reconstruct ethno-cultural processes in the south of Western Siberia during the Neolithic period [Ibid.]. The presence of Celteminar arrowheads in the materials of the Tytkesken II and VI settlements, in our opinion, is associated with migration or infiltration of the population from Central Asia or the eastern regions of Kazakhstan to the territory of Gorny Altai. The nature and intensity of contacts cannot be accurately restored yet. The level of the source base does not allow us to reconstruct ethno-cultural processes, but we hope that with the accumulation of material it will be possible to return to these problems.

Conclusion

The ceramic complex from the horizon FOR the settlement of Tytkesken VI, represented by several groups, finds the closest analogies in the materials of the fifth horizon of the monument Tytkesken P. This complex dates from the middle - second half of the fifth millennium BC and belongs to the developed Neolithic. Materials of the ZA horizon allow us to conclude that the cultural tradition of the developed Neolithic in this territory was formed on the basis of the previous Early Neolithic, but in the presence of some extraneous impulse, which is recorded in the appearance of new specific technological techniques for forming and ornamenting ceramic vessels.

List of literature

Vinogradov A.V., Mamedov E. D. Primeval Lyavkan, Moscow: Nauka Publ., 1975, 286 p.

Volkov P. V., Kiryushin K. Yu., Semibratov V. Trasological study of decorated pebbles of the Tytkesken VI settlement //Kiryushin K. Yu., Kiryushin N. F. Kul'turno-khronologicheskie kompleksy poseleniya Tytkesken-2 (itogi raboty 1988-1994 gg.) [Cultural and chronological complexes of the Tytkesken - 2 settlement (results of works in 1988-1994)]. Barnaul: Alt. state University Publishing House, 2008, pp. 329-334.

Seibert V. F. Atbasar culture. Yekaterinburg: UrORAN Publ., 1992, 221 p. (in Russian)

Kiryushin K. Yu., Kiryushin Yu. F. Cultural and chronological complexes of the Tytkesken-2 settlement (results of works in 1988-1994). Barnaul: Alt. State University Publishing House, 2008. -336 p.

Kiryushin K. Yu., Kiryushin Yu. F., Glushkov I. G. Ispol'zovanie volosa zhivotnykh v goncharnoi traditsii neoliticheskikh kompleksov poseleniya Tytkesken-2 [The use of animal hair in the pottery tradition of Neolithic complexes of the Tytkesken-2 settlement]. - 2012. - N 4. - p. 41-50.

Kiryushin Yu. F., Kiryushin K. Yu., Semibratov V. P. Kelteminar arrowheads from Altai settlements / / Archeology, Ethnography and Anthropology of Eurasia. -2011. - N1. - p. 56-64.

Kiryushin Yu. F., Kungurov A. L. Multilayered settlement Tytkesken-6 on the Katun River. Barnaul: Alt. State University Publ., 1994, pp. 111-124.

Kiryushin Yu. F., Kungurov A. L., Schmidt A.V., Semibratov V. P., Kiryushin K. Y. Excavations in 2006 of the Neolithic complex of the Tytkesken VI settlement // Field research in the Upper Ob and Altai region 2006-Barnaul: Barnaul, State Pedagogical University. un-t, 2007. - p. 21-26. - (Archeology, ethnography, oral history; issue 3).

Kiryushin Yu. F., Semibratov V. P., Kungurov A. L., Grushin S. P. Materials of the Bronze Age from the settlement of Tytkesken VI on the Middle Katun River / / Problems of Archeology, Ethnography, Anthropology of Siberia and adjacent territories: Materials of the Annual Session of the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography SB RAS 2006-Novosibirsk: IAET Publishing House SB RAS, 2006. - Vol. XII, part 1. - pp. 370-373.

Kovaleva V. T. Neolithic of the Middle Trans-Urals: textbook. stipend. Sverdlovsk: Ural State University, 1989, 80 p. (in Russian)

Korobkova G. F. Central Asia and Kazakhstan // Neolith of Northern Eurasia, Moscow: Nauka Publ., 1996, Pp. 87-135.

Masson V. M. The settlement of Jeytun (the problem of formation of the producing economy). - L.: Nauka, 1971. -208 p.- (MIA; N 180).

Molodin V. And the Neolithic and Bronze Age of the forest-steppe Ob-Irtysh region. Novosibirsk: Nauka Publ., 1977, 173 p. (in Russian)

Molodin V. And Gorny Altai in the Bronze Age / / History of the Altai Republic. Gorno-Altaisk: S. S. Surazakov Institute of Altaistics, 2002, pp. 97-138.

Molodin V. I., Mylnikova L. N., Nesterova M. S., Orlova L. A. A unique funeral and memorial complex of the Neolithic era in the Barabinsk forest-steppe / / Problems of Archeology, Ethnography, Anthropology of Siberia and adjacent territories: materials of the final session of the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography SB RAS 2012-Novosibirsk: Izd. IAET SB RAS, 2012, vol. XVIII, pp. 117-122.

Mosin V. S., Grigoriev S. A. Ancient history of the Southern Trans-Urals. Chelyabinsk: South Ural State University, 2000, vol. I: Kamenny vek. The Bronze Age. - 532 p.

Savinov D. G. Instead of a preface / / Afanasyevsky sbornik 2. - Barnaul: Azbuka, 2012. - pp. 4-7.

Stepanova N. F., Polyakov A.V. Afanasyevskaya kul'tura: sovremennoe sostoyanie i istoriya izucheniya [Afanasyevskaya culture: the current state and history of studying]. Barnaul: Azbuka Publ., 2010, pp. 4-15.

Khlobystina M. D. Drevneyshie mogilniki Gornogo Altay [The oldest burial grounds of the Altai Mountains].

page 72

Permanent link to this publication: